


A Slender Thread of Hope

by Chthonia



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Holding Hands, POV Rey (Star Wars), Star Wars: The Last Jedi Spoilers, Throne Room
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-25 17:58:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13217958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chthonia/pseuds/Chthonia
Summary: Luke had been right.  But Luke had refused to help. Ben Solo was still their only hope - and he'd struck down his master to save her.





	A Slender Thread of Hope

"Join me."

His hand, outstretched, but this time sheathed in black. His eyes, lit only by falling flame.

She'd gambled her life on the light flickering within him, but now they might as well have been back on the Starkiller planet, teetering on the edge of an abyss while he held a sword over her head and begged her to follow him into a nightmare. This wasn't the lonely creature who'd reached for her hand across the galaxy. This wasn't the ally who'd fought at her back. This was a man who was no longer conflicted.

_This is not going to go the way you think._

Luke had been right. But Luke had refused to help. Ben Solo was still their only hope - and he'd struck down his master to save her.

He stepped towards her. "Please."

A tear slid down her cheek. She had been so sure that he would stand with her, so sure that the union they'd felt as they'd touched hands would drive the loneliness from both of them. But now he was reaching across a different void. One she could not cross.

She needed to grab her lightsaber and get out of here.

But even without the way his lips trembled and his hand shook, she _knew_ him. She knew he wasn't reaching out to drag her under, but to cling to the only thing that could keep him afloat. And she knew how it would tear him apart if she turned away now.

It was too much. She couldn't carry his pain. If she took his hand he'd never let go and he'd drag her down anyhow. She needed to _run._

But that's what Finn had said on Takodana, and she'd tried to stop him. And no, it _wasn't_ her responsibility to save Ben, but she had chosen to come nonetheless. And because she had, Snoke was dead, and Ben was- not free, not yet. Snoke was no longer tearing him apart, but the monster's corrosion remained. She couldn't leave it to spread, just because this hadn't played out as she'd thought it would. Sometimes a rusted bolt took a little longer to loosen.

She swallowed. "I don't want to rule anything-"

"Rey-"

"-but call off the attack and I'll stay." She pushed the words out before she could take them back.

He stared at her as if she'd spoken in Shyriiwook.

She held his gaze. "Call off the attack, Ben. _Please._ "

His hand shook. "You'll stay?"

_"Yes."_

He looked at her for a moment longer, then turned on his heel and strode to the intercom. Rey dug her nails into her palm as he snarled instructions to stop the bombardment _now_. This – the clenched fists, the rage-flushed face, the rising fury in his voice when his orders were questioned – _this_ was the Kylo Ren feared across the galaxy, the face he had never fully shown her before, and for a moment-

But it's not as if she hadn't known. It's not as if she'd thought this part of him would vanish, just because he'd let her see past the mask. Had she?

The ugly threats were effective, at least. Rey let out a breath as the explosions faded and the small transports carried her friends to safety.

But then he turned to face her again. And this time, she had to be the one to close the gap.

Facing him now, like this… it was all too easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer size of him. And that was nothing to his strength in the Force. When they'd met before he'd robbed her of all movement, invaded her mind, slashed at her in the snow. To walk up to him, to put her hand in his… she knew what he could do.

But she also knew her own strength. And she couldn't expect him to trust her if she wouldn't trust him.

He held out his hand.

Her heart had been beating loud enough when they'd touched before, when she'd been safely on the other side of the galaxy. Now, here, it seemed impossible that he wasn't hearing it too.

Somehow, she made her legs move. Somehow, she made herself meet his eyes, looking beyond the wildness for the softness she'd seen before. And somehow, she could feel his trepidation mirroring her own. She might be stepping away from her new-found security, but he had shattered his. For her.

She slid her hand against his, rough skin to warm leather. His fingers curled over hers.

And this… was so much… _more_

He exhaled, his whole body loosening as if he'd been holding that breath since the first time he'd seen her in the forest. He brought up his other hand to cover hers. And for a moment it took all she had not to pull away and flee to somewhere _safe_.

He bent his head towards hers. "Don't be afraid."

She looked up. His eyes were as solemn as they'd ever been, gazing at her as if she were the most precious and fragile thing in the universe.

His hands shook.

She'd never seen him smile before.

And through their bond, she could feel it: winding through the doubt, denial and despair, there was now a glowing thread of hope.

She covered his hand with hers, and smiled at him past all their fear.

"I feel it too."


End file.
